Utilizing classes and eventualities gained from staff proprietor and former NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sammy Smith capitalized on an extra time shootout amid a late battle together with his fellow Playoff contenders to advance into the second spherical of the Playoffs by successful the United Leases 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 5.
The 2-time ARCA Menards Sequence East champion from Johnston, Iowa, led 5 instances for a complete of 5 of 98 over-scheduled laps in an occasion the place he began the deepest of the Playoff subject in twenty seventh place. Regardless of carving his manner up via the sphere and contained in the top-10 mark amid the draft earlier than ending up a single place shy of claiming a stage level after the primary stage interval, Smith would rally by surging to a second-place end on the conclusion of the second stage interval.
As soon as the ultimate stage interval began below inexperienced flag circumstances with 38 laps remaining, Smith would lead for the primary time on Lap 67 and spend nearly all of the stage racing in the direction of the entrance because the motion round him intensified amid three-wide formation and his fellow opponents drafting aggressively.
Following three restart intervals and two multi-car wrecks, the latter of which knocked out three of his JR Motorsports teammates, Smith, who restarted alongside Playoff contender Riley Herbst on the entrance row for an extra time shootout, overtook Herbst for the lead on the ultimate lap earlier than he dueled with Playoff contender Chandler Smith for the lead via the backstretch. With Chandler Smith having no drafting assist via the ultimate two units of turns, Sammy Smith obtained drafting assist from Ryan Sieg to surge forward and fend off the incoming subject to attain his first NASCAR Xfinity Sequence victory in over one 12 months and robotically switch from the Playoff’s Spherical of 12 to eight.
With on-track qualifying that decided the beginning lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff rookie contender Jesse Love notched his fifth Xfinity profession pole place after he posted a pole-winning lap at 182.129 mph in 52.578 seconds. Becoming a member of him on the entrance row was Playoff contender and teammate Austin Hill, who clocked in his greatest qualifying lap at 181.770 mph in 52.682 seconds.
Earlier than the occasion, the next names that embrace CJ McLaughlin, Joey Gase and Tommy Joe Martins dropped to the rear of the sphere because of unapproved changes made to their respective entries. Aric Almirola additionally dropped to the rear of the sphere after his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota staff was assessed with a windshield violation in the course of the inspection course of. As well as, Almirola was assessed a drive-through penalty after taking the inexperienced flag.
When the inexperienced flag waved and the race began, teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill dueled for the lead in entrance of two stacked lanes earlier than Hill muscled forward as he began on the within lane. As the sphere started to fan out to a number of lanes exiting the backstretch, Hill fended off Playoff contenders Chandler Smith and AJ Allmendinger via two lanes and thru the frontstretch to steer the primary lap as Aric Almirola served his pass-through penalty.
Via the second to fifth lap, a majority of the sphere migrated to the skin lane and inside an extended single-file line behind the chief Hill whereas Allmendinger led a small parade of opponents drafting and attempting to maintain tempo with Hill on the within lane. Allmendinger, nevertheless, would surge forward to steer the fourth lap as he had Playoff contender Riley Herbst following go well with from the within lane whereas Hill was attempting to maintain tempo from the skin lane. Taylor Grey and Playoff contender Sam Mayer additionally navigated their method to the entrance whereas Allmendingergressively blocked each lanes to keep up the lead.
Via the primary 10 scheduled laps, a sequence of on-track shuffling ensued in the direction of the entrance as the sphere fanned out to a few packed lanes, with Love shifting again atop the leaderboard forward of Allmendinger, Hill, Ryan Sieg and Anthony Alfredo. Behind, Riley Herbst and Chandler Smith together with Playoff contenders Parker Kligerman, Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier have been racing within the prime 10 forward of Taylor Grey, Brandon Jones, Carson Kvapil, Jeb Burton and Playoff contenders Cole Custer. In the meantime, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Sheldon Creed, Sam Mayer and Shane van Gisbergen have been mired in seventeenth, 18th and twenty second, respectively.
5 laps later, Love maintained a slim benefit over Allmendinger as he led two stacked drafting lanes whereas Chandler Smith, Hill, Alfredo and Justin Allgaier have been mired within the prime six on the monitor. By then, Almirola, who was lapped two laps earlier, was mired in thirty seventh place. With a majority of the front-runners racing in two-wide formation amid the draft, Love continued to steer on the Lap 20 mark as he transitioned from each the within and out of doors lanes to fend off Chandler Smith and Allgaier for the lead, although Chandler Smith then drew himself alongside Love and led the next lap by a hair.
A lap after being edged by Chandler Smith, Love then acquired shoved out of the draft getting into the backstretch as Allgaier made his transfer beneath Love and had the drafting momentum with him. With Love drifting again throughout the top-10 mark, Chandler Smith had the result in his possession whereas Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Allmendinger and Grey have been scored within the prime 5.
When the primary stage interval concluded on Lap 25, Playoff contender Chandler Smith fended off final-lap challenges from teammate Creed, Allgaier and Allmendinger to assert his seventh Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Playoff contenders Allmendinger, Allgaier, Austin Hill and Creed adopted go well with within the prime 5 whereas Anthony Alfredo, Taylor Grey, Mayer, Custer and Dean Thompson have been scored within the prime 10. With seven of 12 Playoff contenders accumulating the primary spherical of stage factors, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Sammy Smith, Herbst, Kligerman, Love and van Gisbergen have been mired in eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fifteenth and twenty third, respectively. As well as, Almirola was the recipient of the free move after being the primary competitor that was scored a lap down on the first stage’s conclusion.
Beneath the stage break, a majority of the lead lap subject led by Chandler Smith pitted for a primary spherical of pit service whereas others led by Blaine Perkins remained on the monitor. Following the pit stops, Love exited pit street first after he opted to have none of his 4 tires modified whereas Chandler Smith, Creed, Allgaier and Allmendinger adopted go well with within the prime 5. The remaining opponents, who stayed on the monitor, led by Perkins, pitted a lap after the remainder of the sphere did, which handed the lead again to Love.
The second stage interval began on Lap 31 as Love and Chandler Smith occupied the entrance row. At first, Love muscled forward from the skin lane via the primary two turns, however he would then be locked in a side-by-side battle with Chandler Smith simply previous the frontstretch. With the sphere behind closing in amid two stacked drafting lanes, Love managed to steer the next lap whereas Chandler Smith and Allgaier dueled for second place. Allgaier would then surge into second place in entrance of Cole Custer and Chandler Smith by Lap 33 as the sphere fanned out to a few packed lanes via the backstretch.
On the Lap 35 mark, Love led a small single-file line that included Allgaier, Custer, Hill, Alfredo and Kvapil whereas Chandler Smith was mired in seventh place together with Jeb Burton, van Gisbergen and Allmendinger. By the following lap, the highest 24 opponents have been working below two seconds as Love retained the lead forward of Allgaier, Custer, Hill and Alfredo. By then, playoff contenders van Gisbergen, Herbst, Kligerman, Chandler Smith, Creed, Kligerman and Sammy Smith have been mired throughout the top-20 mark whereas Sam Mayer was racing in twenty third place. As well as, Almirola had carved his manner again into the top-20 mark.
By Lap 40, Love maintained a gentle five-car breakaway from two stacked lanes that included Allgaier, Hill, Alfredo and Taylor Grey whereas Allmendinger and Chandler Smith have been attempting to cost their manner in the direction of the entrance amid their respective drafting lanes. Allmendinger would then climb his manner as much as fourth place with a robust surge from the skin lane as he had Custer and Kvapil drafting him.
A lap later, the warning flew when Allmendinger, who had gained a draft on Love from the skin lane, triggered a short stack-up from the skin lane, beginning after the backstretch, after he surged to Love’s bumper at a high-rated velocity, acquired unfastened and was shuffled out of the draft. This resulted in Nick Leitz getting turned and wrecking in entrance of Kligerman and Jeb Burton as Josh Williams and Dean Thompson have been additionally concerned in Flip 4. For the time being of warning, Allgaier had overtaken Love for the lead via Turns 3 and 4.
Through the warning interval, some together with Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Herbst, Taylor Grey, Ryan Sieg, van Gisbergen, Kligerman and Jeb Burton pitted whereas the remainder led by Allgaier remained on the monitor. Following the pit stops, Grey was penalized for rushing on pit street.
With the occasion restarting below inexperienced with 4 laps remaining within the second stage interval, Allgaier and Hill dueled for the lead in entrance of two stacked lanes via the primary two turns and the backstretch. As Cole Custer was shuffled out of the draft regardless of lining up with the Richard Childress Racing opponents, Hill continued to duel with Allgaier for the lead via the frontstretch, the place Allgaier led the next lap, as Allmendinger aggressively shoved his manner in the direction of the top-three mark and amid a three-wide transfer. As the sphere continued to fan out aggressively, Allgaier managed to maneuver in entrance of Hill to have each lanes to his management and lead the next lap.
When the second stage interval concluded on Lap 50, Playoff contender Austin Hill, who used a daring crossover transfer on Allgaier to imagine the lead and outlasted a sequence of aggressive challenges from his competitors amid the draft over the earlier two laps, fended off a last-lap surge from Sammy Smith to assert his fourth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Behind, Playoff contenders Sammy Smith, Love, van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Herbst, Allmendinger, Creed and Custer all completed within the prime 9 whereas Brandon Jones settled in tenth place. With 9 of 12 Playoff contenders racking up the second spherical of stage factors, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Allgaier, Mayer and Kligerman settled in thirteenth, seventeenth and twenty first, respectively.
Through the stage break, Hill led a majority of the sphere, together with all Playoff contenders, again to pit street for service. Following the pit stops and amid combined methods, Herbst, who solely opted for gas, exited pit street first as he was adopted by Brandon Jones, Kvapil, Chandler Smith and Grey.
With 38 laps remaining, the ultimate stage interval commenced below inexperienced as Herbst and Jones occupied the entrance row. At first, Herbst obtained drafting assist from Chandler Smith to surge forward of Jones via the primary two turns as the remainder of the sphere adopted go well with amid two stacked lanes. With the sphere starting to fan out to a number of lanes via the backstretch, Herbst led the next lap forward of Chandler Smith whereas Grey made his manner as much as third place forward of Jones, Creed and Love. Love then surged in the direction of the entrance with no drafting assist via the backstretch and Turns 3 and 4 earlier than Herbst fought again with all of the momentum occurring behind him towards the skin wall. As nearly all of the sphere migrated in the direction of the skin lane led by Herbst, Love continued to struggle again from the within lane as he had Sammy Smith, Almirola and Allgaier following go well with.
With 34 laps remaining, Love, who spent the final a number of laps dueling with Herbst, surged forward to steer as he was adopted by Sammy Smith and the remainder of the sphere. Smith then made his transfer beneath Love exiting the backstretch and each dueled in entrance of two stacked lanes via the frontstretch and previous to finishing the next lap as Love was nonetheless scored forward of Smith and Herbst.
Right down to the ultimate 30 laps of the occasion and with the sphere fanned out to a few stacked drafting lanes, Herbst was forward of Chandler Smith, who used the within lane to steer just a few laps earlier amid a three-wide motion, and Almirola whereas Sammy Smith, Love, Allgaier, Allmendinger, van Gisbergen, Jordan Anderson and Hill have been scored within the prime 10 forward of Josh Williams, Mayer, Cred, Kvapil and Alfredo. In the meantime, Kligerman and Custer have been mired in seventeenth and twenty fourth, respectively, whereas the highest 23 opponents have been racing below a second of each other.
5 laps later, Chandler Smith was out in entrance forward of Love, Herbst, Sammy Smith, Allmendinger and van Gisbergen whereas Almirola, Hill, Williams and Allgaier have been mired within the prime 10 amid a flurry of on-track battles as the sphere continued to duel amid three tight-packed lanes.
With 20 laps remaining, Allmendinger, who made an aggressive transfer to overhaul Love from the skin lane earlier than he dueled with Chandler Smith for the lead from the within lane, was main forward of Sammy Smith, Herbst, Almirola and Chandler Smith because the top-28 opponents have been separated inside two seconds.
A lap later, the warning flew when van Gisbergen, who was scored in sixth place approaching the frontstretch’s tri-oval, made contact with Dean Thompson which resulted in van Gisbergen going under the double yellow line zone. Instantly after, Jordan Anderson bumped into the rear of Thompson and acquired Thompson spinning and clipping van Gisbergen, the place the latter went again up the monitor and ignited a multi-car wreck that concerned Anderson, David Starr, Taylor Grey, Josh Williams and Austin Hill.
Through the warning interval, some together with Kligerman and Love pitted to prime off on gas whereas the remainder led by Allmendinger remained on the monitor. By then, Hill was capable of stay on the lead lap after having his automobile repaired and assembly minimal velocity to proceed whereas van Gisbergen was eradicated from additional competitors.
The beginning of the next restart interval with 13 laps remaining featured Sammy Smith and Allmendinger dueling for the lead simply previous the frontstretch earlier than Allmendinger surged forward with drafting assist from Herbst and Chandler Smith on the within lane via the primary two turns. The sphere then scattered earlier than submitting again into two draft-packed lanes as Herbst challenged Allmendinger for the lead. By then, Almirola, who was racing in the direction of the entrance, blew a left-front tire via the frontstretch and fell off the tempo, although he continued under the apron with out drawing a warning. The warning, nevertheless, returned with 11 laps remaining because of particles coming off of Almirola’s automobile on the backstretch as Almirola limped his automobile to pit street.
With the race restarting below inexperienced with seven laps remaining, Herbst and Sammy Smith dueled for the lead earlier than Herbst surged forward from the within lane with drafting assist from Allmendinger, Chandler Smith and Allgaier. Allmendinger then tried to duel beneath Herbst for the lead via the backstretch, however he had no drafting assist whereas Herbst retained the lead with drafting assist coming from Chandler Smith. As the sphere fanned out via the frontstretch, Herbst retained the lead for the next lap.
Right down to the ultimate 5 laps of the occasion and the sphere nonetheless fanned out to a few packed lanes, Sammy Smith was main forward of teammates Allgaier and Jones whereas Allmendinger and Herbst battled for fourth place. Allgaier and Herbst then pinned Sammy Smith in the midst of a three-wide battle via the backstretch as Allgaier surged forward with the lead. With Allgaier main the next lap forward of Herbst, Sammy Smith battled Leland Honeyman, Jones, and Chandler Smith for third place as the sphere behind continued to draft aggressively via three packed lanes.
Then with three laps remaining, the warning returned when Kvapil, who was racing in the direction of the highest 5, was bumped by teammate Jones exiting the frontstretch, which resulted in Kvapil getting unfastened and spinning into the trail of teammate Allgaier as each smacked the skin wall exhausting. Kvapil then shot useless left again throughout the monitor and clipped Jones as Jones took a vicious head-on hit into the skin wall, the place he collected Alfredo and Custer. Within the ensuing chaos, extra names together with Kligerman, Parker Retzlaff, Jeb Burton, Allmendinger, Dylan Lupton, Love and Perkins wrecked. The multi-car wreck was sufficient to not solely ship the occasion into extra time but additionally place the occasion in a short pink flag interval as Herbst, who made a transfer beneath Allgaier for the lead via Turns 3 and 4 a lap earlier, was scored the chief.
When the pink flag lifted and the sphere proceeded below a cautious tempo, some together with Allgaier, Allmendinger and Custer pitted for repairs to their respective vehicles whereas the remainder led by Herbst and Sammy Smith remained on the monitor.
The beginning of the primary extra time try featured Herbst and Sammy Smith tightly dueling for the lead via the primary two turns, with Chandler Smith drafting Herbst whereas Creed was drafting Sammy Smith. Via the backstretch, the top-four opponents that included Herbst, Sammy Smith, Chandler Smith and Creed muscled away from the remainder of the sphere till Herbst muscled forward with drafting assist from Chandler Smith getting into Turns 3 and 4 when Sammy Smith misplaced his drafting assist from Creed.
When the white flag waved and the ultimate lap began, Herbst remained because the chief as the remainder of the sphere behind got here storming again in the direction of the front-runners whereas Sammy Smith began to make his transfer beneath Herbst for the lead. Chandler Smith then made his transfer beneath Herbst with drafting assist from teammate Creed, which resulted in Herbst dropping out of the highest 5 as he had not drafting assist and left each Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith to duel for the lead in entrance of Ryan Sieg, Leland Honeyman and Creed via the primary two turns.
With the sphere nonetheless fanned out to a few tight-packed lanes via the backstretch as Jeb Burton tried to surge to the entrance, Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith remained in a good duel for the lead till Sammy Smith began to have drafting assist from Ryan Sieg via Turns 3 and 4. Then getting into the frontstretch, Sammy Smith surged forward with drafting assist from Ryan Sieg whereas Chandler Smith was dropping momentum as he had no drafting assist. With no extra drafting runs or challenges occurring behind him, Sammy Smith was capable of muscle forward and declare the checkered flag by a tenth of a second over Ryan Sieg whereas Creed acquired turned by Love after taking the checkered flag.
With the victory, Sammy Smith, the reigning Xfinity Sequence Rookie-of-the-Yr recipient, notched his second profession win in his seventieth begin within the Xfinity Sequence, his first on a superspeedway venue and his first since successful at Phoenix Raceway in March 2023. The victory was additionally Smith’s first driving for JR Motorsports and the primary time the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet entry went to Victory Lane in an Xfinity occasion since Josh Berry piloted the entry to a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October 2022. As well as, JR Motorsports notched its fourth Xfinity victory at Talladega and its 87th victory general within the sequence whereas rookie crew chief Phillip Bell, who was swapped to JR Motorsports’ No. 8 staff from the No. 9 staff in early September, achieved his first profession win.
Consequently, Smith, who got here into Talladega 15 factors under the top-eight cutline within the Playoff standings, earned an automated spot into the Playoff’s Spherical of 8, the place he’ll proceed his pursuit of his first Xfinity Sequence championship.
